Originally posted by zcasavant I can't imagine wanting more travel. The problem occurs when I hit higher RPMs. Puttering around below 3k is fine. Spirited driving above 4k is annoying - have to let the revs drop a lot before I can throw it into 2nd or 3rd. Perhaps this is normal. I need to drive another M3.

That doesn't sound normal to me. My gates feel notchy in the lower RPMs (of course I'm comparing to the 330) but seem to loosen up during spirited driving. Shifts above 4k RPMs have been smooth and consistent for me.

With a brand new tranny, I suspect your problem should be an easy fix.

Have you posted to bimmerforums with the problem? There are a lot of E36 M3 owners over there as well. Never hurts to ask.